Queen of Costume

    

In her role as costume designer for film and television, Ruth E. Carter is one of the most legendary designers in the industry. She was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and she also attended Hampton University with a degree in Theatre Arts. I watched a Netflix documentary called Abstracts, which introduced me to Ruth E. Carter and her career. It was fascinating to learn about her work and to see how many avenues one can take in fashion. When watching movies and shows, I never had an interest in learning who designed the clothing until I had a great deal of admiration for it. Costume design is such an intimate process, creating a character’s identity, it tells a story of who they are and what they stand for. Carter's work has had such a major impact on black culture through some of the most iconic black films. Her designs for Black Panther and Wakanda Forever have always stood out to me as monumental creations.  For her work on Black Panther, Ruth E. Carter was the first black woman to win an Oscar for best costume design in 2019. As I learned her story and saw her illustrations, my love for fashion grew and inspired me to pursue a minor in fashion design in college.